The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was convicted of orchestrating a government overthrow in September and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he continued under confinement pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments came to light.
This involved seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a public vigil that could enable a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the protest called by his child.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his backers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on digital networks on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or observe everything from your phone there on your settee? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to foreign missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a history of planning to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The court filing emphasizes that the United States embassy in the capital, the capital city, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist American leader Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being kept in a Federal Police station in the capital and will experience a custody hearing on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that he be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was determined responsible of leading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a scheme which involved plans to kill his opponent and his running partner, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The scheme was stopped because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of his followers stormed and vandalised official structures in the national capital, the capital city.
The security forces stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the court case a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the next presidential race.
